The Minister of Forestry and the Environment, Fatou Ndeye-Gaye recently presided over the closing ceremony of the validation of developing National Appropriate Mitigation Action NAMA proposal in The Gambia, earmarked for the agricultural sector.
The validation, held at the Paradise Suites Hotel, brought together stakeholders within the Ministry of Agriculture, National Environment Agency, Department of Agriculture and the Ministry of Fisheries and its line departments.
In her closing statement, Forestry Minister Gaye, said the endeavour by participants to develop a US$14 million for the agriculture sector of The Gambia is indeed timely and appreciated.
According to her, as formulated, the project when funded and implemented will support the farming communities of the Central and Upper River Regions, to address issues related to reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases from crop production, animal husbandry and horticultural activities.
“The project will also enhance sustainable development in the two Administrative Regions and produce development spill-overs at the national level,” she said, adding that it is hoped that food and nutrition security will be partially met in these regions.
The project document, she added, ‘is in an excellent state and ready for uploading into the UNFCCC registry of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action in the name of The Gambia.’
“As expected, bilateral and multilateral development partners, particularly Developed Country Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will pick up the project and provide financial, technological and capacity-building support for the implementation in the Central and Upper River Regions,” Minister Gaye stated.
She also used the opportunity to commend President Yahya Jammeh, the African Development Bank and FAO’s Country Office in The Gambia for supporting the development of this Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action for Agriculture.
For his part, Abdoulie Danso, deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, lauded the participants for their contribution towards the validation of this very important draft document.
According to him, the document will go a long way towards helping the mitigation of climate change, which he said, is a global issue.
